Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
As you’d expect, Henry Cejudo’s reaction to the botched fight for his former flyweight title raised more than a few eyebrows.
With the US presidential election coming up in November and the Democratic nomination process in full swing, it’s already extremely hard to ignore all the divisive and whacked out political news being sprayed at us like a firehose. It’s even leaking through into our mixed martial arts again!
If you thought it might go away after Kamaru Usman sent Colby Covington sprinting out of the T-Mobile Arena in December, you were wrong! Dana White recently revived a lot of the pro-Trump / anti-Trump animus under the surface of our sport when he showed up to support his presidential friend at a rally. And now former double champ Henry Cejudo is invoking the Donald’s attention-getting name to promote a potential return to the 125 pound division he seemingly just left.
It all started with Anthony “Lionheart” Smith voicing his support for a Cejudo return during the ESPN aftershow for UFC Norfolk. That event saw Deiveson Figueiredo defeat Joseph Benavidez, rendering Cejudo’s relinquished championship spot vacant because the Brazilian fighter missed weight.
”I think Henry, after he fights Aldo, you need to come back down to 125 and let’s see that [Figueiredo] fight,” Smith said. “I’d love to see that fight.”
@danawhite let’s keep the flyweight division great! #2020 #ilovetrump I’m coming back down to take all their headsheads! Forever Triple C #bendtheknee https://t.co/EjFbu1hT76
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) March 1, 2020
”Dana White, let’s keep the flyweight division great!” Cejudo wrote in response on Twitter. “#2020 #ilovetrump I’m coming back down to take all their headsheads! Forever Triple C #bendtheknee.”
Now is Cejudo, a proud and vocal son of two illegal immigrants, serious about his support for President Trump? Or is he just tapping into White’s recent support of Trump as an angle to get the UFC president to support a flyweight title bid?
”Why don’t you line them both up, Dana?” Cejudo followed up. “Ill be the co-main and main event in the same night! I’ll beat the brakes out of both these ugly detached Siamese twins #andstill4ever.”
Henry Cejudo says a whole bunch of stuff. Especially these days as he continues to try and build a brand for himself that results in some serious paycheck bumps. But it’d be foolish to discount his desire to come back for the flyweight belt, just as it’d be foolish to discount his recent declaration that he wanted to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC bantamweight title. Everyone pish-poshed Henry’s demand to fight Jose Aldo, yet what’s happening at UFC 250? Henry Cejudo vs. Jose Aldo.
Still, it feels like the last thing the flyweight division needs is a half-committed champ that’s made it clear he’s only interested in the biggest fight of the moment. If that’s your mindset, nine times out of ten, that fight won’t involve a flyweight contender. So for the sake of a division that continues to hold onto its existence by a thread, we’d ask Cejudo to back off if only to let the committed 125ers show off their skills and keep the weightclass moving at a fast clip.
What do you think, Maniacs? Sound off in the comments!